Did you really see that light at the end of the tunnel when you nearly died?

Activity in parts of the brain associated with changes in consciousness were detected in patients who were in a coma and dying. — dpa

Survivors of close calls with death often recall extraordinary experiences: seeing light at the end of a tunnel, floating outside their own bodies, encountering deceased loved ones, or recapping major life events in an instant.

The fact that these stories share so many elements in common and come from people from diverse cultural backgrounds points to a possible biological mechanism – one that has yet to be de-mystified by scientists.